About the River Valley Film Festival

The River Valley Film Festival was founded in 2019 by Williamsport, PA native and film industry publicist Cory Baney. Initially planned to take place in July of 2020, the festival was met by a world stopping pandemic, Covid-19 (you may have heard of it). Along the way to the relaunch in January 2025, Cory met Jonathan Decker at a local drive-in, who's commitment to RVFF can be attested by his initial statement, "I'm all in, this sounds awesome." 

Partnering with Jonathan, Cory was determined to continue to grow the RVFF team and the potential for the festival. This included eyeing local organization the Lycoming Arts Film Office as a perfect partner for the inaugural festival. After meeting with the Lycoming Arts Film Office Chair Noah Beiter and Lycoming Arts President Debi Burch the River Valley Film Festival was welcomed with wide open arms into Lycoming Arts repertoire of events throughout the community.

Under the Lycoming Arts banner, the River Valley Film Festival continued to flourish. With the inaugural year having featuring an opening night event like no other, Red Carpet Friday, which incorporated over 40 vendors, music, food, and handmade goods, all with a red carpet theme.

The inaugural lineup included 20 films, with selections from the US, Slovakia, Mexico, and Ukraine. The festival drew crowds that were fully engaged in the films, most turning into workshops on how to help grow the film's impact. 

The River Valley Film Festival curated an award winning first year jury, with Tom Woodruff Jr., Ethan Alter, Megan McLachlan, Emily Flake, and John Shableski. The jury decided which films took home Best Narrative Feature, Best Narrative Short, and Best Documentary Feature. RVFF also offered an Audience Award for Feature Length and Short Length, as well as the Millionaire Award for best overall audience rating.